Square Was Originally Called “Squirrel”, Here’s The Story From Jack Dorsey

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It’s pretty interesting to learn about how a company got its name, and every company has a story. We learned about Square’s today, and it was almost called “Squirrel”, according to founder Jack Dorsey and Square’s Creative Director, Robert Anderson. MG Siegler broke this three years ago, but here are the full details, in tweets, fittingly:

What could have been: when Square was originally called Squirrel, the reader was an acorn. Squirrel payments, anywhere. http://t.co/AKCaE1dw

Can you imagine if the company had stuck with the whole Squirrel theme? “Hey dude, do you have an “Acorn” reader?” Yeah, Square was the right move, and Acorn as the reader name would have been a bit tragic.

We’re told that “Squirrel” was just the early name that Dorsey was contemplating, so maybe it wasn’t such a close call. Regardless…whew.

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OverviewAcorn is a private equity investment company. It provides "angel" financing to start up companies in the technology and bioscience industries. Since its establishment in 1996 and its incorporation in 1999, it has provided hands on investing to over 10 start-ups, primarily in the Washington DC and Atlanta, GA Metropolitan Areas. It is also an investment partner in Blue Water Capital Venture …

BioJack Dorsey is the creator, co-founder, and Chairman of Twitter and co-founder & CEO of Square.
Originally from St. Louis, Jack's early fascination for mass-transit and how cities function led him to Manhattan and programming real-time messaging systems for couriers, taxis, and emergency vehicles. Throughout this work, Jack witnessed thousands of workers in the field constantly updating where …

OverviewSquare helps anyone take care of their business. Square's complete register service is a full point of sale with tools for every part of running a business, from accepting credit cards and tracking sales and inventory to small-business financing. Customers also use Square Cash, the easiest way to send and receive money, and Square Order, a new way to pre-order food and drinks for pickup. Founded …